Articles | Volume 18, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2137-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-2137-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
16 May 2025
Research article |
| 16 May 2025
| 16 May 2025
STRAS: a new high-time-resolution aerosol sampler for particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis
Silvia Nava
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Roberta Vecchi
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
Paolo Prati
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
Vera Bernardoni
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
Laura Cadeo
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Luca Carraresi
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Carlo Cialdai
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Massimo Chiari
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Federica Crova
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
Alice Forello
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
Cosimo Fratticioli
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Fabio Giardi
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Marco Manetti
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
Dario Massabò
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
Federico Mazzei
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
Luca Repetto
Department of Physics, University of Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
Gianluigi Valli
Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Milan, Milan, 20133, Italy
Virginia Vernocchi
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Genoa, Genoa, 16146, Italy
Franco Lucarelli
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
National Institute for Nuclear Physics, INFN Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy
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Silvia G. Danelli, Lorenzo Caponi, Marco Brunoldi, Matilde De Camillis, Dario Massabò, Federico Mazzei, Tommaso Isolabella, Annalisa Pascarella, Paolo Prati, Matteo Santostefano, Francesca Tarchino, Virginia Vernocchi, and Paolo Brotto
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 9387–9401, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9387-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-9387-2025, 2025
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This study examines optical properties and the variability of the mass absorption coefficient of carbonaceous aerosols produced by the combustion of different fuels. Experiments, conducted in an atmospheric simulation chamber, tested different methods of sampling and analyzing carbonaceous aerosols, with a focus on workplace environments. Results highlight the need to understand the variability in aerosol optical properties for accurate monitoring and health and environmental impact assessments.
Laura Renzi, Claudia Di Biagio, Johannes Heuser, Marco Zanatta, Mathieu Cazaunau, Antonin Bergé, Edouard Pangui, Jérôme Yon, Tommaso Isolabella, Dario Massabò, Virginia Vernocchi, Martina Mazzini, Chenjie Yu, Paola Formenti, Benedicte Picquet-Varrault, Jean-Francois Doussin, and Angela Marinoni
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2823, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2823, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
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This study investigates how particle properties affect the accuracy of a common air pollution instrument, the dual-spot aethalometer. By combining lab experiments with real-world data from a mountain site in Italy, we found that the correction factor for this instrument varies mainly due to particle size and measurement conditions. Understanding these influences helps improve air quality monitoring, which is important for assessing pollution impacts on health and climate.
Myriam Agrò, Manuel Bettineschi, Silvia Melina, Diego Aliaga, Andrea Bergomi, Beatrice Biffi, Alessandro Bigi, Giancarlo Ciarelli, Cristina Colombi, Paola Fermo, Ivan Grigioni, Veli-Matti Kerminen, Markku Kulmala, Janne Lampilahti, Angela Marinoni, Celestine Oliewo, Juha Sulo, Gianluigi Valli, Roberta Vecchi, Tuukka Petäjä, Katrianne Lehtipalo, and Federico Bianchi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2387, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2387, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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This study investigates New Particle Formation (NPF) in Milan, the most populated city in the Po Valley (Italy), using one year of particle number size distribution data (1.2–480 nm). NPF is enhanced under cleaner air conditions with lower pollution, reduced condensation sink, stronger ventilation, and stronger northwesterly winds (e.g., Foehn events). In contrast, longer air mass residence time in the Po Valley and higher air mass exposure to anthropogenic emissions suppress it.
Florin Unga, Giulia Calzolai, Massimo Chiari, Eleonora Cuccia, Cristina Colombi, Mariolina Franciosa, Adelaide Dinoi, Eva Merico, Antonio Pennetta, Noelia Gómez-Sánchez, Caterina Mapelli, Salvatore Pareti, Cinzia Perrino, Eduardo Yubero, and Daniele Contini
Aerosol Research, 3, 405–415, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-405-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ar-3-405-2025, 2025
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This study evaluates the performance of energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) on particulate matter (PM10) samples collected on quartz and Teflon filters through an inter-laboratory comparison. Detection limits were higher on quartz, but measurement repeatability was similar. Strong elemental correlations suggest that, with proper corrections, quartz filters can provide reliable results. These findings support their feasibility for ED-XRF analysis.
Johannes Heuser, Claudia Di Biagio, Jérôme Yon, Mathieu Cazaunau, Antonin Bergé, Edouard Pangui, Marco Zanatta, Laura Renzi, Angela Marinoni, Satoshi Inomata, Chenjie Yu, Vera Bernardoni, Servanne Chevaillier, Daniel Ferry, Paolo Laj, Michel Maillé, Dario Massabò, Federico Mazzei, Gael Noyalet, Hiroshi Tanimoto, Brice Temime-Roussel, Roberta Vecchi, Virginia Vernocchi, Paola Formenti, Bénédicte Picquet-Varrault, and Jean-François Doussin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 6407–6428, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6407-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-6407-2025, 2025
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The spectral optical properties of combustion soot aerosols with varying black (BC) and brown carbon (BrC) content were studied in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Measurements of the mass spectral absorption cross section (MAC), supplemented by literature data, allowed us to establish a generalised exponential relationship between the spectral absorption and the elemental-to-total-carbon ratio (EC / TC) in soot. This relationship can provide a useful tool for modelling the properties of soot.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, P. Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankararaman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Johann Engelbrecht, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbigniew Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gómez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal L. Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 4665–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-4665-2025, 2025
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Aerosol particles are an important part of the Earth system, but their concentrations are spatially and temporally heterogeneous, as well as being variable in size and composition. Here, we present a new compilation of PM2.5 and PM10 aerosol observations, focusing on the spatial variability across different observational stations, including composition, and demonstrate a method for comparing the data sets to model output.
Laura Cadeo, Beatrice Biffi, Benjamin Chazeau, Cristina Colombi, Rosario Cosenza, Eleonora Cuccia, Manousos-Ioannis Manousakas, Kaspar R. Daellenbach, André S. H. Prévôt, and Roberta Vecchi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-110, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-110, 2025
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This study presents the deployment of the Xact® 625i Ambient Metals Monitor in Milan (Po Valley, Italy) and its performance in measuring PM10 elemental composition at a high temporal resolution. Our findings demonstrate strong agreement between online and offline XRF analyses, underscoring the potential of advanced monitoring technologies for air quality research.
Tommaso Isolabella, Vera Bernardoni, Alessandro Bigi, Marco Brunoldi, Federico Mazzei, Franco Parodi, Paolo Prati, Virginia Vernocchi, and Dario Massabò
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1363–1373, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1363-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1363-2024, 2024
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We present an innovative software toolkit to differentiate sources of carbonaceous aerosol in the atmosphere. Our toolkit implements an upgraded mathematical model which allows for determination of fundamental optical properties of the aerosol, its sources, and the mass concentration of different carbonaceous species of particulate matter. We have tested the functionality of the software by re-analysing published data, and we obtained a compatible results with additional information.
Natalie M. Mahowald, Longlei Li, Julius Vira, Marje Prank, Douglas S. Hamilton, Hitoshi Matsui, Ron L. Miller, Louis Lu, Ezgi Akyuz, Daphne Meidan, Peter Hess, Heikki Lihavainen, Christine Wiedinmyer, Jenny Hand, Maria Grazia Alaimo, Célia Alves, Andres Alastuey, Paulo Artaxo, Africa Barreto, Francisco Barraza, Silvia Becagli, Giulia Calzolai, Shankarararman Chellam, Ying Chen, Patrick Chuang, David D. Cohen, Cristina Colombi, Evangelia Diapouli, Gaetano Dongarra, Konstantinos Eleftheriadis, Corinne Galy-Lacaux, Cassandra Gaston, Dario Gomez, Yenny González Ramos, Hannele Hakola, Roy M. Harrison, Chris Heyes, Barak Herut, Philip Hopke, Christoph Hüglin, Maria Kanakidou, Zsofia Kertesz, Zbiginiw Klimont, Katriina Kyllönen, Fabrice Lambert, Xiaohong Liu, Remi Losno, Franco Lucarelli, Willy Maenhaut, Beatrice Marticorena, Randall V. Martin, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Yasser Morera-Gomez, Adina Paytan, Joseph Prospero, Sergio Rodríguez, Patricia Smichowski, Daniela Varrica, Brenna Walsh, Crystal Weagle, and Xi Zhao
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2024-1, 2024
Preprint withdrawn
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Aerosol particles can interact with incoming solar radiation and outgoing long wave radiation, change cloud properties, affect photochemistry, impact surface air quality, and when deposited impact surface albedo of snow and ice, and modulate carbon dioxide uptake by the land and ocean. Here we present a new compilation of aerosol observations including composition, a methodology for comparing the datasets to model output, and show the implications of these results using one model.
Paolo Cristofanelli, Cosimo Fratticioli, Lynn Hazan, Mali Chariot, Cedric Couret, Orestis Gazetas, Dagmar Kubistin, Antti Laitinen, Ari Leskinen, Tuomas Laurila, Matthias Lindauer, Giovanni Manca, Michel Ramonet, Pamela Trisolino, and Martin Steinbacher
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5977–5994, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5977-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5977-2023, 2023
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We investigated the application of two automatic methods for detecting spikes due to local emissions in greenhouse gas (GHG) observations at a subset of sites from the ICOS Atmosphere network. We analysed the sensitivity to the spike frequency of using different methods and settings. We documented the impact of the de-spiking on different temporal aggregations (i.e. hourly, monthly and seasonal averages) of CO2, CH4 and CO 1 min time series.
Alessandro Bigi, Giorgio Veratti, Elisabeth Andrews, Martine Collaud Coen, Lorenzo Guerrieri, Vera Bernardoni, Dario Massabò, Luca Ferrero, Sergio Teggi, and Grazia Ghermandi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14841–14869, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14841-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14841-2023, 2023
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Atmospheric particles include compounds that play a key role in the greenhouse effect and air toxicity. Concurrent observations of these compounds by multiple instruments are presented, following deployment within an urban environment in the Po Valley, one of Europe's pollution hotspots. The study compares these data, highlighting the impact of ground emissions, mainly vehicular traffic and biomass burning, on the absorption of sun radiation and, ultimately, on climate change and air quality.
Virginia Vernocchi, Elena Abd El, Marco Brunoldi, Silvia Giulia Danelli, Elena Gatta, Tommaso Isolabella, Federico Mazzei, Franco Parodi, Paolo Prati, and Dario Massabò
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5479–5493, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5479-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5479-2023, 2023
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Bioaerosol are airborne particles or droplets that contain living organisms or biological materials, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, pollen, or other organic matter. The study of the relationship between bioaerosol viability and air quality or meteorological conditions is an open field, and running experiments of the bioareosol viability in an atmospheric simulation chamber gives the possibility to set up well-defined conditions to evaluate the interaction between bioaerosol and pollutants.
Fabio Giardi, Silvia Nava, Giulia Calzolai, Giulia Pazzi, Massimo Chiari, Andrea Faggi, Bianca Patrizia Andreini, Chiara Collaveri, Elena Franchi, Guido Nincheri, Alessandra Amore, Silvia Becagli, Mirko Severi, Rita Traversi, and Franco Lucarelli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9987–10005, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9987-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9987-2022, 2022
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The restriction measures adopted to contain the COVID-19 virus offered a unique opportunity to study urban particulate emissions in the near absence of traffic, which is one of the main emission sources in the urban environment. However, the drastic decrease in this source of particulate matter during the months of national lockdown did not lead to an equal decrease in the total particulate load. This is due to the inverse behavior shown by different sources, especially secondary sources.
Marilena Teri, Thomas Müller, Josef Gasteiger, Sara Valentini, Helmuth Horvath, Roberta Vecchi, Paulus Bauer, Adrian Walser, and Bernadett Weinzierl
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 3161–3187, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3161-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3161-2022, 2022
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We performed an extensive closure study including laboratory and simulated experiments to evaluate various angular corrections for the Aurora 4000 polar nephelometer, focusing on irregularly shaped aerosols such as mineral dust. We describe the impact of particle size, refractive index, and shape on the determination of the particle scattering coefficient and propose a guideline to establish the most appropriate angular correction depending on the aerosol type and the investigated size range.
Virginia Vernocchi, Marco Brunoldi, Silvia G. Danelli, Franco Parodi, Paolo Prati, and Dario Massabò
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2159–2175, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2159-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2159-2022, 2022
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The performance of a mini inverted soot generator was investigated at a simulation chamber facility by studying the soot generated by ethylene and propane combustion, together with the number, size, optical properties, and EC / OC concentrations. Mass absorption coefficients and Ångström absorption exponents are compatible with the literature, with some differences. The characterization of MISG soot particles is fundamental to design and perform experiments in atmospheric simulation chambers.
Jesús Yus-Díez, Vera Bernardoni, Griša Močnik, Andrés Alastuey, Davide Ciniglia, Matic Ivančič, Xavier Querol, Noemí Perez, Cristina Reche, Martin Rigler, Roberta Vecchi, Sara Valentini, and Marco Pandolfi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6335–6355, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6335-2021, 2021
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Here we characterize the multiple-scattering factor, C, of the dual-spot Aethalometer AE33 and its cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence for three background stations: urban, regional and mountaintop. C was obtained for two sets of filter tapes: M8020 and M8060. The cross-sensitivity to scattering and wavelength dependence of C were determined by inter-comparing with other absorption and scattering measurements including multi-angle off-line absorption measurements.
Magdalena Reizer, Giulia Calzolai, Katarzyna Maciejewska, José A. G. Orza, Luca Carraresi, Franco Lucarelli, and Katarzyna Juda-Rezler
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 14471–14492, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14471-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-14471-2021, 2021
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The elemental composition of atmospheric PM2.5 and PM2.5–10 was measured during wintertime, with 1 h resolution, using a streaker sampler for the first time at a Central European urban background site. A set of multivariate and wind- and trajectory-based receptor models identified the main sources of ambient aerosol. Fine PM fraction was mainly comprised of regionally transported aged secondary sulfate from residential solid fuel combustion, while the coarse mode showed traffic-related origins.
Silvia G. Danelli, Marco Brunoldi, Dario Massabò, Franco Parodi, Virginia Vernocchi, and Paolo Prati
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 4461–4470, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4461-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-4461-2021, 2021
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Experiments conducted inside confined artificial environments, such as atmospheric simulation chambers (ASCs), where atmospheric conditions and composition are controlled, can provide valuable information on bio-aerosol viability, dispersion, and impact. We focus here on the reproducible aerosolization and injection of viable microorganisms into an ASC, the first and crucial step of any experimental protocol to expose bio-aerosols to different atmospheric conditions.
Vera Bernardoni, Luca Ferrero, Ezio Bolzacchini, Alice Corina Forello, Asta Gregorič, Dario Massabò, Griša Močnik, Paolo Prati, Martin Rigler, Luca Santagostini, Francesca Soldan, Sara Valentini, Gianluigi Valli, and Roberta Vecchi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 2919–2940, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2919-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2919-2021, 2021
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An instrument-dependent wavelength-independent parameter (C) is often used to face multiple-scattering issues affecting aerosol light absorption measurements by Aethalometers. Instead, we determined multi-wavelength C by comparison with absorption measurements of samples collected in parallel performed by an instrument developed in-house. Considering C wavelength dependence, harmonized results were obtained applying source and component apportionment models to data from different Aethalometers.
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Short summary
The new high-time-resolution sampler STRAS has been designed, developed and tested. It enables automatic sequential sampling of up to 168 hourly samples of PM10, PM2.5 or PM1. It has been conceived for subsequent elemental composition analysis (from Na to Pb) by particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), but optical techniques may also be applied to measure black and brown carbon. Its use combined with other high-temporal-resolution instrumentation can provide complete chemical speciation of aerosols on an hourly basis.
The new high-time-resolution sampler STRAS has been designed, developed and tested. It enables...
